LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Monday, September 27, 2021: Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp (R) and Dr Andreas Schlumberger during a training session at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group B Matchday 2 game between FC Porto and Liverpool FC. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Liverpool make key staff appointment in bid to prevent injuries

Liverpool have added another key figure to their fitness staff as part of an overhaul in Jurgen Klopp‘s backroom, with their objective being to minimise the risk of injury.

While Klopp may not ever get his wish of a more streamlined fixture list for his players, the club are looking to manage the situation better in their own way.

That comes with a focus on maintaining and managing the fitness of his squad during the campaign, with a number of major appointments made in recent years.

The manager credits head of nutrition Mona Nemmer with revolutionising Liverpool’s setup, while head of fitness and conditioning Andreas Kornmayer and head of recovery and performance Dr Andreas Schlumberger take up key roles.

Lee Nobes, Chris Morgan and Steve Lilley are among those to have been brought into the physio department, while Jim Moxon has replaced Andy Massey as club doctor and emphasis has been placed on the role of fitness coach Conall Murtagh during training.

Over the summer, Liverpool also appointed Lena Aschenbrenner in the new position of prevention and performance, joining after nine years working at the EDEN REHA facility in her native Germany.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Monday, October 18, 2021: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during a training session at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group B Matchday 3 game between Club Atlético de Madrid and Liverpool FC. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Furthermore, Aschenbrenner ran her own centre along with work for the German FA and leading associations in Olympic sports and volleyball.

In her words, the job at Liverpool entails “helping each player perform to their maximum and minimising the risk of injury.”

There have clearly been challenges in her first months on Merseyside, with muscle injuries for the likes of Roberto Firmino, Fabinho, Naby Keita, James Milner, Thiago and Joe Gomez already this season.

But one of the key successes so far has been the management of Joel Matip, who is yet to miss a game through injury and has already clocked more minutes on the pitch than in each of 2019/20 and 2020/21.